Adding up the running watts and the highest starting wattage of all the devices you wish to power with a generator will help ...

Propane. For a portable generator, you’d need four to eight 20-lb. propane tanks on hand to run the generator for 24 hours—a lot of grill tanks. Larger cylinders are available.

Propane. For a portable generator, you'd need four to eight 20-lb. propane tanks on hand to run the generator for 24 hours—a lot of grill tanks. Larger cylinders are available.

Here are a few mistakes to avoid when running a generator. Not reading the manual Technically, this is a mistake to avoid before you’re in a position of having to run your generator.

With power outages widespread during this bout of severe winter weather, knowing how to operate a generator safely is paramount.

Using the average energy contained in a litre of petrol, this is what it could cost to run a generator through various stages of load-shedding.